Started in February 2025, Herb Study Club is a monthly group I’ve been running at Thackray Medical Museum exploring different medicinal plants. Every month, we explore a herb chosen by myself and spend time experiencing it through smell, taste and observation. I prepare the herb in various forms such as in an infusion, a tincture or juice. The herb is not revealed to the group in order to avoid any assumptions we may have about a plant. The goal is to experience the herb at that specific moment and mindfully taste it and see how it makes us feel.

I ask questions such as ‘What landscapes do you seen when smelling this herb? , ‘Does it remind you of anything?, Does it taste like a leaf, a flower, a seed?’

I started my journey with plants through this practice and it has been transformative in shaping how I interact with the natural world. Wholeheartedly it’s become a practice in trusting our intuition, unlocking ancestral knowledge and really listening in to our bodies and environments.

The group is open to all. If you would like to join the group, please contact me at matilyanjau@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list!